LOS ANGELES (Ticker) -- Game after game, Shaquille O'Neal and
the Los Angeles Lakers continue to establish themselves as the
NBA's best.

O'Neal had another eye-opening performance with 27 points, 19
rebounds, seven assists and five blocked shots as the Lakers
posted their 10th straight win and 17th in 18 games, 103-87 over
the Phoenix Suns.

O'Neal, who entered the contest second in the league in scoring
and rebounding and third in field-goal percentage, hit 11-of-23
shots and 5-of-9 free throws. After winning Player of the Month
honors in November, O'Neal has dominated the millennium's final
month as well, guiding the Lakers to the best record in the NBA
at 25-5.

"It's been fun," O'Neal said. "Everyone is playing well. I do
expect a lot more from this team. As long as we're getting the
wins, as long as we're getting better in practice, I'm happy."

"Shaq's success is partially attributed to (coach) Phil
(Jackson), mostly to Shaq and mostly to genetics," Suns center
Luc Longley said. "It seems like the triangle (offense) suits
him well with so much ball movement. He seems to like playing
within the offense."

Kobe Bryant scored 18 points and Glen Rice added 15 and had a
big fourth quarter for Los Angeles, which has won 11 straight at
the brand new Staples Center.

"The key is to continue to get better," Bryant said. "We are
not jumping for joy because we have a 10-game winning streak. We
know in our hearts that we could play a lot better."

"We are happy with the 10 games in a row," Jackson added. "It's
a good feeling. I think we feel like we have some momentum
going."

Cliff Robinson scored 24 points and Jason Kidd added 14 and 11
assists for the Suns, who have dropped four of five after a
four-game winning streak, slipping to 5-4 under new coach Scott
Skiles.

"You have to be impressed with a team that has the best record
in the NBA," Skiles said. "It's early though and we'll see what
happens as the season goes on."

Rex Chapman scored 18 points and Rodney Rogers added 14 for
Phoenix, which pulled within 90-84 on Robinson's hook in the
lane with 4:04 to play.

O'Neal converted a three-point play on the ensuing trip and Rice
answered Chapman's layup with one of his own before knocking
down a 20-footer and a 3-pointer to open a 100-86 cushion with
1:08 remaining.

"I think by February or March, we should be able to tell if we
have a shot at (the championship) or not," O'Neal said.

Ron Harper scored 14 points for Los Angeles, which shot 52
percent (41-of-79) and held a 53-42 advantage on the boards.

"I don't pay attention to the streak," said Harper, who won
three NBA titles under Jackson in Chicago. "I know that we lost
five big games. I know that we have a long ways to go before we
become a very good basketball team. We still have to find out
if we can become a really good basketball team."

The Suns shot 38 percent (34-of-90) and forced 20 turnovers.

O'Neal scored 16 first-half points to stake the Lakers to a
57-52 lead at the break.

"I think they're just patient and having the big fella in the
middle helps," Kidd said. "Having a guy playing as well as
(O'Neal) is takes a lot of pressure off all the other guys and
they all understand their roles."

Harper, Rice and Bryant made layups to open the second-half
scoring and Harper hit a 3-pointer to cap a 10-1 run that made
it 66-53 with 8:50 left in the third quarter.

A.C. Green made a layup to give the Lakers a 15-point bulge
before the Suns began climbing back in it. Kidd hit a
17-footer, Chapman a 3-pointer and Robinson scored on
consecutive trips to cut the deficit to 73-67 with three minutes
left in the period.

"They're doing what it takes to get it done and you can't do
anything but respect that and try to do what you can to get
yourself on a roll," Robinson said. "They can be beat,
definitely."